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Is On Second Thought the newest drunk texting savior?

In this digital age when most social interactions take place over the phone, it’s a common occurrence to send an instantly regretted text message — no matter if you blame it on alcohol or (let’s face it) simple carelessness. Luckily, 28-year-old...

Is On Second Thought the newest drunk texting savior?

In this digital age when most social interactions take place over the phone, it’s a common occurrence to send an instantly regretted text message — no matter if you blame it on alcohol or (let’s face it) simple carelessness.

Luckily, 28-year-old Maci Peterson -- who has sent her share of accidental text messages -- is putting an end to the embarrassing-text-epidemic that has cursed Millennials for the past decade.

On December 23, Peterson launched On Second Thought: a texting app that allows users to “take back” a text up to 60 seconds after it was sent, before it reaches the receiver.

“I started asking my friends, ‘Hey, have you guys ever sent a message that you wish you could take back?’ and overwhelmingly all of them said yes,” says Peterson. “That’s kind of how On Second Thought got started…me having the inability to take back an embarrassing text message.”

Now, with 42,000 users and counting, OST is starting to make waves.

So, how does it work?

The concept is simple: once On Second Thought is downloaded, users can set it as their default system for SMS/MMS messaging. Each user can then customize how long he or she wishes to have for a "grace period," or the allowed time to “ost” (or take back) the text before it reaches the receiver. This period can be anywhere between zero and 60 seconds.

The app also has a “curfew” setting, which allows users to block their text messages from sending after a certain time.

Maci Peterson, Founder and CEO of On Second Thought(Photo: Photo by Monica True)

“Say you’re going out, your party starts at 9 p.m. and you know that by 10 p.m. you’ll be pretty buzzed. Before you go out, you can set your curfew for 10 p.m. and that means that every text message sent after 10 p.m. will be held until the next morning,” says Peterson. “Then, the next morning, you can go back through and decide ‘Yes, I want to send that’ or ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I was going to say that to that person.’”

Peterson notes that if you truly need to send a text past your set curfew time, you can override the app by confirming that you wish to send the text.

Additionally, On Second Thought does not require for the receiver of your text to have the app, unlike competitors.

“Most of the other apps handle chat, meaning it’s more like [instant messaging], whereas we’re actually handling your text messages,” Peterson explains. “We’re releasing chat as well, but we handle actual text messages. Our biggest difference is that only the sender has to have On Second Thought in order for our functionality to work.”

How was this developed?

Peterson, who graduated from Chapman University with a B.A. in public relations and advertising, did not originally have the technology chops to build the app on her own.

“I can do basic HTML coding but I can’t build a sophisticated app,” she says. Therefore, after a whirlwind of brainstorming and trial-and-error with development, Peterson co-founded the app with two technology and design gurus: Chief Operating Officer Stewart Voit and Chief Creative Officer Gary Keeler.

“It’s a phenomenal team,” says Peterson. In November, the OST team traveled to the Web Summit in Dublin where On Second Thought was a featured start-up and exhibitor. The summit gave the app the recognition it needed to drive further developments, and OST was officially launched six weeks later.

“We have a really fun road map [planned] for the app, for a lot of different features,” says Peterson. “The goal is for us to be your messaging destination, so no matter who you’re trying to contact or what you’re trying to do, you can do it through On Second Thought with our insurance of being able to fix your mistakes before anyone knows you’ve made them.”

Sounds awesome! How do I get it?

If you use an Android operating system, you’re in luck: the On Second Thought app is available to download for free through Google Play.

With the download, each user receives nine free text recalls per month. After the free recalls are used, it will cost $1.99 for unlimited recalls for the rest of the month, or $9.99 for unlimited recalls for the year.

If you use an iOS system, patience is key: On Second Thought is not yet available for iPhones, but the team is working tirelessly to have the app available by late spring.

“There’s a high demand for iOS. We always knew there was going to be a high demand, but it’s much more aggressive than we thought it would be, which is wonderful. So we’re trying to get something out to those users as quickly as we possibly can,” says Peterson.

Does Maci have any advice for young professionals?

As a woman of color in a male-dominated technology field, Peterson has had no fear in creating her own pathway to success.

“There’s a heightened sensitivity to women and making sure that we feel comfortable in the start-up scene,” says Peterson. “Everyone knows that there is a lack of diversity, both ethnically as well as in terms of gender, so there are a lot of initiatives and task forces now to make sure that there is diversity, especially when it comes to founders and entrepreneurs.”

Yet, despite any chauvinist attitudes that Peterson has been faced with, she has kept her head up with her eyes on the prize.

Her advice? Follow your beliefs and stick to your goals.

“My partners at On Second Thought and I aren’t necessarily special. We’re all Christians so we know that God has a plan for our lives, and we’ve just been obedient and flexible and willing and available to do this assignment that [God has] given us,” says Peterson. “So, what drives me is that I hope other people look at me and say ‘Hey, if Maci can do this I can too.’ Because, like I said, there’s nothing really special about me. It’s just the fact that I’ve been obedient to what I’m supposed to do.”